KIA Complaints

i get my lane assist and almost wrecked bc it defaulted without warning. when i came up on a car to fast. it didn’t slow down and try to automatically brake.

Excessive oil consumption noted at around 40,000 miles. No visible smoke coming from tail pipe but burnt oil smell coming from underneath car in region of catalytic converter. Had engine visually inspected and had pressure test done by repair shop; no engine seal compromise present. Took vehicle to dealer to report and was told that warranty did not apply to this issue. Car eventually burning 2-3 quarts of oil every 800 miles. Traded car in at just over 99,000 miles due to oil consumption and concern about failure. Private party mechanic and oil change facilities very familiar with this issue on Kia souls. Noted that class action lawsuit against Kia for this very issue was initiated in California but was abruptly dropped. First vehicle I've ever owned that had to have oil added between changes. Noted that Kia owners manual stated that up to 3 quarts of oil consumption between 7500 mile oil changes is normal. I had oil change service done predominantly every 3000 miles.

The car prior to the locked engine it ran well without any problems. While driving the car all of a sudden it began to stall. The car began to make a really loud clanking noise before the engine locked up. Due to the circumstances a mobile mechanic was called out to the location to assess the situation. The mobile mechanic completed the diagnostic with a car reader to which it displayed code P0011 code. To ensure it wasn't the car's battery the battery was replaced with a new one thinking that would remedy the situation of the car not starting. However, once this was completed the car wouldn't start again. Per the mobile mechanic conclusion, he stated that the engine was locked up. The car was towed to KIA Sunrise - Sunrise, FL on February 15, 2025. I inform them of the problem that the engine was locked. They stated that they would perform a diagnostic for an authorization fee of $250.00 to which I agreed for KIA Sunrise to do the diagnostic on the car. Based on their conclusion they attested that the engine was locked up as I had informed them. I mentioned that there was a recall on the engine of KIA Soltos 2021 due to engine failure at that point they stated that KIA Corp office had yet to send them notification of the recall relating to the engine failure. They stated for me to wait till April 2025 when the recall for the engine failure would have been received by them from Corp to which I did however, by then I was informed that they now wanted an additional $500 for a diagnostic. KIA Sunrise, stated that due to the engine being locked up they wouldn't look into it until $500.00 was paid however, they refused to take into consideration the $250.00 that was already not long ago, which based on the communication that was had they stated that was the authorization amount for them to do a full diagnostic knowing that the engine was locked up. However, at a later time they wanted more money to do a diagnostic on an engine that was still locked up.

Car simply started for me after work this past Thursday @4 pm I dove down the street and for about 5 mins and had to turn around due to me leaving something at work. When I arrived back at work I parked and cut my car off as I normally do and when I returned to start it back up it never did. I have previously been having to add 5 quarts of oil frequently at least once or twice a month for the past 7 months since last year. Was told my car had an oil consumption problem by a previous mechanical shop last year. Noticed that these cars have recalls on them and that my car and year do fit the requirements. I do owned my car with the Title in hand. It’s NOT a salvaged title. I have a service appointment on the 24th of June next Tuesday at Kia of Gastonia located in Gastonia, NC. I have to get my car towed to this establishment on Monday or the morning of my appointment. I’m asking that this situation can be properly investigated and properly and honestly handled under KIA policy. My name is [XXX] my # is [XXX] thanks INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Rick Case Kia Coral Springs, FL refused to do an engine recall since it wasn’t a profit to them and refused to do the service on the recall since they said they are independently owned and don’t have to follow main Kia

I own a 2022 Kia Seltos that has experienced a persistent coolant leak. I’ve brought the vehicle in multiple times, but each time I was told the issue couldn’t be duplicated. The coolant reservoir was consistently dropping week after week. Dealership had even marked the reservoir with a line for tracking purposes. Despite keeping the vehicle for several days, the technicians were still unable to locate the source of the leak. I was then informed that any further diagnostic work would incur a service charge. When I expressed concern about this, Mark responded by saying, “The mechanics do not work for free.” Before I picked up the car, Dealership called to let me know a technician had accidentally broken a part, which they replaced. He stated the broken part was unrelated and that the original issue still had not been identified. I retrieved the vehicle and, interestingly enough, for over a year afterward, the coolant level remained stable. After this I contacted KIA corporation and I was advised they could not help in the matter and I'm have to work with the dealership. While changing the oil on [XXX]—roughly three months since I last checked the reservoir—I noticed the coolant level had dropped again, below the “low” mark. I refilled it to avoid potential damage, but it appears the original issue has returned. Ive notified the dealership on 6/19/2025 the issues has returned, I haven't heard back from as of today. The vehicle is still under it's 100K mile warranty and I need help getting KIA to honor it's warranty and not force me to pay for diagnoses. I'm being told this should fall under the lemon law and get a lawyer. I'd rather not go this route , as it's still forcing me to spend money. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The car just keep doing weird stuff with the lights. It want go off all the time the key went work the cv joints are popping. Have to trigger the battery sometimes to start up

6/10/25 - 8:40am - Vehicle was in "comfort" drive mode and was stopped in traffic when it stalled. Vehicle would not move when foot removed off brake and pressing accelerator. Warning light "Put vehicle in park and re start vehicle". Driver able to put hazards on, place vehicle in park and restart vehicle. Dangerous situation. Contacted dealer for immediate inspection/resolution. Despite notifying the dealership of their dangerous vehicle they failed to act on it in a timely manner resulting in another dangerous scenario on 6/20. Dealership's first available appointment for service was scheduled for 6/26. During this time, driver would press a button so that the engine system would not shut off. This button must be pressed every time driver starts vehicle, or it defaults to the engine management system that turns the engine off when stopped in traffic. 6/20 - Stopped at a red light. Shut off in traffic again. Could not restart. Police arrived to help and troubleshoot. Would not restart. Could not place in neutral to push to side of the road. Attempted to find some button to unlock the transmission but button not there? Stuck in the middle of traffic for ~ 1 hour while waiting on tow truck.

The car started making a knocking noise. I got it checked out and nothing showed up on the diagnostic. Today I was driving and it wouldn’t go over 65 and the engine light keeps blinking.

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized but was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000.